Utah

Utah offers several opportunities for prospective nursing students to earn certificates, diplomas and degrees. The Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions in Provo offers a DNSc (Doctor of Nursing Science), and the University of Utah, which also is one of the state’s largest employers, provides the widest variety of degrees. Students can earn a BSN, the RN-to-BSN, an MSN in approximately twenty specialties such as midwifery, acute care and oncology, and a PhD. PhD specialties include aging, clinical practice, faculty preparation, gerontology, health policy, health promotion/disease prevention, health care systems, individualized study, information systems, nursing administration, nursing education, nursing policy, nursing research, and oncology. Other schools located in Utah include Southern Utah University in Cedar City, which offers a BSN and Utah Valley State College in Orem, where students can earn an associate degree in nursing.

Statewide, the average salaries for LPN, RN and specialty nurses range between $13,000 and $69,000 annually, depending upon degree earned, years in the field, expertise and size of the health facility. One of Utah’s largest employers is the Huntsman Cancer Institute, which was created to find the causes of cancer, to develop new and better treatments, and to prevent people from ever developing cancer. Located in Salt Lake City, UT, Huntsman Cancer Institute operates a hospital-based patient care center in association with the Health Sciences Center at the University of Utah. The University of Utah’s University Health Care system also includes the Intermountain Burn Trauma Center, the John A. Moran Eye Center, and the University Neuropsychiatric Institute, all located in Salt Lake City. This city also is home to Intermountain Health Care, a nonprofit health system with over 26,000 employees statewide. They treat both Utah and southeastern Idaho residents in over 21 hospitals located in towns and cities such as Murray, Delta, Fillmore, Heber City, Orem and Ogden. Graduates also can find hospitals and clinics in smaller towns such as Moab, Beaver, Brigham City and Price.